It is time for the letter U and this week I am in Blackpool at the Blackpool Balloon Bash, its raining here so I figured that this animal would be really appropriate, it is the Umbrellabird.

The Umbrellabird is found in the rainforests of Central and South America, there are 3 types of umbrellabird, the Bare necked, the Amazonian and finally the one I have made, the Long Wattled Umbrellabird. All the birds are predominantly black and they are named because of their amazing head of feathers on their head which kind of resembles an umbrella. All the birds have an inflatable wattle hanging on their chest, this is used to amplify their booming call.

As with most rainforest animals the main threat to the Umbrellabird is the loss of habitat, vast areas of rainforest are constantly being removed for timber and then being turned into farmland, as you can imagine this has a devistating effect of all species who make the rainforest their home. Another threat is from hunting, they are fairly easy to track due to their booming calls.

Protected areas have been set up in several places in Central and Southern America, this is giving the Umbrellabird a chance to survive without any threats from habitat loss and hunting. for more information about this beautiful bird visit - https://a-z-animals.com/animals/umbrellabird/

One of the main reasons I am doing this project is to raise awareness for many of the threatened animals on our delicate planet, one way you can help is to share this and any of my posts on social media. You can also donate to my just giving page. It is a safe secure method of donating money to the WWF and ALL of the money goes directly to the charity - https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/EndangeredSpecies